This application is based upon French Patent Application No. 01.15211, filed Nov. 21, 2001, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety, and the priority of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boot equipped with a gaiter in order to provide protection against the penetration of sand, pebbles, and various objects.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
It is known to equip boots with gaiters for protection against the cold or for impermeability. A traditional solution is to wear gaiters that are separate from the boot, i.e., that are removable, that more or less cover the upper portion of the boot and at least partially surround the wearer""s lower leg.
Another proposed solution is to attach a flexible gaiter externally to the rear of the boot upper, for example, by means of a stitched seam that, if necessary, is shielded in a pocket provided for this purpose on the rear of the upper when it is not in use.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,544 to equip a low upper shoe with a water-proof gaiter, tubular in shape, sewn along the upper edge of this upper and extending along the lacing zone by replacing the traditional tongue.
This construction imparts good impermeability to the boot against water, and avoids having to make a separate tongue. Nevertheless, it is not as comfortable. In addition, the impermeable material constituting the gaiter is non-extensible, such that the gaiter has a tubular shape wide enough to allow positioning the foot inside of the boot and, therefore, it must be provided at its upper end with a cord and clamp tightening system. Such non-elastic closure systems, however, are not very efficient for avoiding the penetration of small pebbles and sand inside of the boot.
The present invention is provided for overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks and to provide a boot equipped with a gaiter that is completely impermeable to any penetration of pebbles, sand, etc., and that can be used particularly as a running shoe in aggressive, natural environments.
The boot according to the invention includes an upper equipped with a lacing zone and a gaiter fixed to the upper edge of the upper. The gaiter is made of an extensible material and is fixed along the upper edge of the tongue of the upper.